Sassy Sauce, Recalls, Food Studies & More!

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MON11.15.10

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New Way to K!

Spotted on Shelves...

Millstone K-Cups - Like Millstone coffee? Like having a cup o' joe made especially for you? Good news! The Millstone folks have gotten in on the K-Cup craze and released single-serve versions of their Breakfast Blend and Hazelnut Cream varieties. (FYI: Brewed coffee, even flavored, is basically calorie-free.) Just pop a cup into your Keurig machine and voilà! Heads up: Folgers has K-Cups now too! Check 'em out...

We were REALLY excited to see this headline: "Chefs can create reduced-calorie restaurant foods." Here's the scoop: In a nationwide study conducted by researchers at Penn State, restaurant owners, executives, and chefs were surveyed to determine their thoughts about serving healthier food. Here are some interesting findings...

* A whopping 72 percent of those questioned feel they could trim 10 percent of the calories off meals without the customers even noticing; 21 percent said they could discreetly cut calories by 25 percent!

* In terms of how they'd go about slashing calories in existing dishes, most chefs are in favor of reducing portion sizes, as opposed to altering the recipes to lighten them up. We can understand that; it's easier and requires less knowledge of foods' calorie content. But we'd be happy to offer advice... Just sayin'!

* The chefs also reported that they'd prefer to create new lower-calorie dishes, not tweak existing recipes. Fair enough... We'd welcome new options!

Let's hope the people in charge really make it happen... YAY!

Will Restaurant Chefs Make the Cut?

Which Is Weightier?

Don't Get Stuck in the Dieter's Paradox!

Eeeks! This one caught our attention, people. A new study from Northwestern University states that calorie-conscious consumers tend to underestimate calorie totals when there's a healthy side dish involved. Nearly 1,000 people took part in the survey, which went a little something like this: Some participants were shown a fairly unhealthy item (i.e., a cheeseburger); others were shown the same item paired with a healthy side (like a small green salad or an apple). On average, members of the second group guessed a lower calorie total than those who evaluated the solo unhealthy item. Even worse? People who identified themselves as dieters were more likely to fall into this trap, guessing even lower totals! ACK! So how can you prevent this from happening to you? EDUCATE YOURSELF. Read the nutritional panels on the food you buy, scope out the calorie counts when you go to chain restaurants, and look up foods you frequently chew on websites like CalorieKing. And don't trick yourself into thinking the salad you're eating with that burger makes the burger lower in calories. You're smarter than that...

The Buzz...

RECALL ALERT! Getting the bad news out of the way first, click here for details on the cilantro recall and click here for info on the most recent egg recall, both due to potential salmonella contamination. ***If it seems like everyone around you is coming down with a cold, consider this: A new study from the British Journal of Sports Medicine shows that exercisers may be less susceptible to catching colds than their sedentary cohorts. Just one more reason to get yourself moving! ***Do you like the thrill of the chase? Enjoy going after things (or people!) that are hard to get? According to ANOTHER study (we're just full of scientific research this week!), this one from Johns Hopkins University, putting extra effort into obtaining food may do more than increase our appreciation; it can boost the perceived taste! Hmmm... Maybe we'll start storing our baby carrots somewhere we'd have to climb up to... ***What items are the easiest to get? FREE ONES! (Unless there's a long line to get 'em.) Burger King is offering free 12-oz. cups of Seattle's Best coffee during breakfast hours at participating locations every Friday in November. Sounds like a great way to finish off the workweek! ***And one more fun tidbit for ya: If you fly JetBlue, keep an eye out for PopCorners (the guilt-free love child of popcorn and corn chips) as an in-flight freebie snack option offered nationwide on all flights! It won't make the kid behind you stop kicking your seat, but you'll probably be less annoyed if you're snacking on something delicious. That's all we've got. HG out!

Salmonella Warning!

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CHEW ON THIS:

Did you celebrate National Spicy Guacamole Day this past Sunday, November 14th? If not, no prob -- make a batch of this awesome dip, add the optional jalapeños, and all will be forgiven.

We may have received free samples of food, which in no way influences whether these products are reviewed favorably, unfavorably, mentioned with indifference, or mentioned at all. Click for more about our editorial and advertising policies.

*The PointsPlus® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.